Urging people to take care when charging electronic devices, incident investigator Jo Stephens said: “E-cigarettes are becoming increasingly popular and it’s very important that people know how to charge them safely.

“This gentleman was very lucky that this fire did not claim his life; unfortunately he suffered slight smoke inhalation and the property was damaged by fire and smoke, but things could have been a lot worse.

(Image: Merseyside Fire and Rescue)

“We would urge people never to leave their e-cigarette on charge while they are asleep or away from the house, and to always read the safety advice enclosed in the packaging.

“Our advice for e-cigarettes is the same as for many smaller electrical appliances such as mobile phones and laptops; don’t be tempted to buy cheap, unbranded chargers, don’t leave them on charge while you are out of the house or asleep and keep them well away from combustible materials.”

Damage caused by an e-cigarette left on charge. (Image: Merseyside Fire and Rescue)

(Image: Merseyside Fire and Rescue)

The fire is not the first serious blaze linked to e-cigarettes on Wirral.

Liverpool and Wirral coroner Andre Rebello said he would write to the Government after a Wallasey dad died following a fire sparked by one of the devices.

A post mortem found he died of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coronary artery atherosclerosis, but the circumstances before his death were likely to have led to cardio-respiratory failures.